Critic Reviews

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78

IGN

It seems that a lot of the goodies and special things that were promised to anxious Xbox owners in Unreal Championship actually ended being thrown into Unreal II: The Awakening. It's the Xbox version of the PC sequel that appeared last year as a separate product from Unreal Tournament 2K3, which was very similar to the Unreal Championship that appeared on Xbox. Confused yet? Just know that Unreal 1 was never on Xbox even though Unreal II is the second appearance of the franchise on Xbox.

Unreal 2: The Awakening was one of those games that found its way back onto my hard drive, not so much because of its longevity in the gameplay department - after all, it was a linear and rather short adventure - but more to the fact that I had never been entirely pleased with how it had performed on my previous system. I had just finished the PC version for my second time – a much better experience on a high-end rig I might add – when the Xbox version arrived for review.

In the end, Unreal just doesn’t match the aura that Unreal Championship has. In fact, come to think of it, Atari still hasn’t sent out the press release saying the game was out. Many of us found out by seeing it on the shelf. Maybe it’s for a reason? I don’t know too many UC players that have been able to make their way to Unreal II and enjoy it.

Unreal II: The Awakening has finally made its debut on the Xbox, about a year after it was originally released on the PC. As one of the most well-recognized franchises in the first-person shooter genre, fans waited for Unreal II with much anticipation, only to be disappointed by a short, uninspired single-player campaign and a lack of multiplayer options. Though the latter problem has ultimately been addressed by an add-on for the PC version, Xbox owners will be underwhelmed with this version of Unreal II because it plays and feels like a watered-down port.

Unreal II features tight controls and a creative weapon selection each boomstick features an alt-fire mode (an Unreal staple), which effectively doubles your arsenal. But other vital elements got messed up along the way. The game suffers from frame rate issues, particularly in the area of character animation. Enemies and NPCs look stuttered, like they’re missing frames that would otherwise make them move smoothly.

As a single-player experience, Unreal 2 is undoubtedly one of the more forgettable shooters on the Xbox; joining the likes of Jedi Academy and Soldier of Fortune 2 in that club of below par PC ports that have been unceremoniously dumped on owners of this capable machine.

If you are a fan of Unreal II and you want to own this version of the game as well, you'll probably buy it. But if you have a PC and a desire to get Unreal II, get the PC version and the XMP download. Unreal II on the XBox is a let down in SP and passable as a distraction in MP. If you're looking for MP then you'd be better off getting the sleek UT2004 and not bothering with this at all.

There's nothing wrong with Unreal II: The Awakening that a 2002 release date wouldn't fix. While not a terrible game on its own, this new release starts to show Unreal's real age. Many games may use the Unreal engine, but they've clearly surpassed its rather generic story and presentation. And, of course, much of the game will feel like déjà vu to PC fans, as this port contains material that was released last year.